International students entering higher education institutions in Spain no longer need to pass the country’s competitive entrance exam. Instead universities will now be responsible for creating their own admissions exams in a move that should open up Spanish HE to more global students from 2015.
This month, the government released a Boletín Oficial del Estado announcing that students holding a high school diploma or equivalent are granted access to university “including students from foreign educational systems”.
The policy has sparked harsh criticism from higher education institutions that say they will not have time to create sufficient admissions tests
The policy introduced by Minister of Education José Ignacio Wert has sparked harsh criticism from higher education institutions that say they will not have time to create sufficient admissions tests before students begin to arrive for the upcoming autumn term.
However some institutions, such as IE University (IE) where 65% of undergraduates across its Madrid and Segovia campuses are from overseas, are viewing the new legislation more positively.
Antonio de Castro Dean of Undergraduate Studies at IE told The PIE News: ” It is very good news because it means ending a long historical tradition and the beginning of international openness of the Spanish university system, keeping us in line with competitive university systems across the world.”
“It means ending a long historical tradition and the beginning of international openness of the Spanish university system”
“The legislation changes at this stage of the year won’t affect admissions in the short term, but we expect the 2015 intake will allow us to recruit more international talents from regions such as North and South America that were not eligible in the past,” he added.
“Spain is the main destination for Erasmus students, and among the top five of the preferences of American students for temporary stay. The challenge is to transform the trend and turn them into lifelong learners,” he said.
De Castro said that as well as American students, the new system will make Spain more accessible for students from the Middle East, China and India in particular.
More than 55,000 students studied a degree in Spain in 2012, most coming from Colombia, Italy and Ecuador.
According to the exam administering body, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), last year some 7,000 students sat the Selectividad exam.
Under the previous system, students were allowed to enter degree programmes based on their score relative to other students and demand for their preferred subject of study.
The exam will continue to be a requirement for Spanish students until 2017. To increase their chances of admission to high demand degree courses such as medicine, foreign students can still take specialised Selectividad exams.
